


the many marks of jonathan sims

by oakleaf_bearer



Series: scottish safehouse fics [6]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Additional Tags to Be Added, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Past Violence, Scars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakleaf_bearer/pseuds/oakleaf_bearer
Summary: jon has lots of marks from the entitiesin the safehouse, him and martin discuss them and what they mean for jon
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Series: scottish safehouse fics [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912657
Comments: 22
Kudos: 201





	1. the flesh

Jon was feeling... content didn't quite describe it. It was more than that. He was _happy,_ more than he ever thought was possible. The quiet feeling of peacefulness that had settled low in his stomach was almost overwhelming him with how at home it felt there. It had made its place somewhere deep inside him and Jon wanted nothing more than to hold it, keep it, nurture it, and let it grow until it consumed him. 

The quiet rumble of Martin's voice through his shirt where Jon's ear was pressed against it was a pleasant lullaby, slowly sending Jon drifting into the space between sleep and wakefulness. His hands ran calming lines down Jon's back, from the base of his neck down the the top of his trousers, then back up. 

Martin paused in his ministrations. He backtracked, brushing his hand several times over a specific section of Jon's side.

"Jon..."

"Mmm." Jon mumbled, burying his face in Martin's chest. 

"Where's your rib?" 

Ah. 

Right. 

That old chestnut.

"I was meaning to tell you."

"Tell me what, that you're missing a rib?" 

"It's not as bad as it sounds."

Jon let Martin push him until they were both sat up, detangling from the blanket that Martin had pulled over them. 

Martin's hands slipped under his shirt. 

Jon's brain glitched for a moment, taking a second to reset and catch back up as Martin smoothed his hands down Jon's ribcage, pressing his fingers into the free space. 

"What happened?" 

"Jared. Hopworth, uh, I made a deal."

"Why?" Martin stared at him, incredulous. 

Jon shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." 

"It wasn't! It was super not a good idea. You let an avatar of the Flesh poke around in your chest and _take a rib_."

"He, ah, he actually took two."

"Two?! Jon, you complete and utter-" He skimmed his hands across Jon's chest until he found the other space. "For goodness sake, Jon, why do you never think things through. What happened to them?"

"I used one, or at least I tried to, as my anchor, when I was in the coffin. A piece of me to find my way back to. That didn't work, obviously, and, well, you know what happened there. I think it should still be in my desk drawer."

"And the other?"

"Jared had it. To my knowledge, he still does."

Martin stared at him. "Jared Hopworth has one of your ribs?"

"Yes."

"And that doesn't concern you?"

"It probably should, but.." Jon shrugged. "It's not inside my body and I can't feel anything that happens to it, so I just... don't mind." 

Martin shook his head fondly. "Only you could not mind one of your bones being stolen by a big flesh man."

"It wasn't stolen, I gave it willingly." 

"Let me get this straight." Martin shifted so he could pull Jon against his chest again. "You willingly gave away part of your body so that you could go into the Buried to bring back someone who hated you and actively wanted you dead?"

"That's about it, yes." 

"Your hero complex is concerning and frustratingly attractive." 

Jon snorted. "Really? That does it for you?" 

"You'd be surprised. Now come here, I want to finish this book before dinner."

Jon went willingly, curling back against Martin, revelling in the way that Martin's fingers found the gaps in his ribs and brushed over them gently. He quickly found himself dozing again, lulled to sleep by his boyfriends tender care and the gentle rumbles of his voice. 


	2. the web

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jon finds a spider in the bathroom and explains some things to martin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw//   
> -spiders   
> -it's not explicitly stated, but jon is fighting off a panic attack 
> 
> if you're arachnophobic like i am, i recommend skipping this chapter

"Jon, where's the teabags?" Martin called. 

The cabin was quiet, no response coming from his boyfriend. "Jon? Teabags?"

Silence again. 

Frustrated, Martin poked his head out of the kitchen. 

"Jon!"

"Here." Jon's voice sounded shaky. 

"What's wrong?" Martin wandered through the house, heading towards Jon's voice. 

"Please, just... come here." 

Martin turned the corner and found Jon

standing frozen in the doorway to the bathroom, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead, trembling as he stared into the corner of the room where a large, twitching spider sat dark against the wall. 

"Jon, it's alright, come here." 

Jon shook his head, not taking his eyes off the spider. 

"It's alright love, I'll get rid of it. I just need to get past, okay?" 

Slowly, Jon shifted to the side, taking tiny, tentative steps out of Martin's way. 

The spider crawled forwards slightly and Jon flinched, letting out a small whimper. 

"Sweetheart, look at me?"

"But-" He fidgeted, tugging at his sleeves. "I-I can't." 

"You can."

Jon slowly turned, glancing furtively back towards the spider. Eventually, his eyes met Martin's. 

"Well done. I need to come past you. Can you go and sit in the living room for me?" 

Jon nodded. He shot one last worried look at the spider, and then he was gone, disappearing out of the doorway past Martin and into the other room. 

Satisfied that his boyfriend was safely out of the way, Martin reached up to the spider. 

"Come here. You need to be outside now." Martin nudged the spider onto his hand. "You can't be here anymore." 

Carefully, he carried the offending arachnid outside, placing it on the ground and shooing it away.

Back inside, Jon was rifling through the pockets of Martin's coat. He pulled out a packet of mint chewing gum and popped one into his mouth. 

"Is it gone?" 

"Yep. I've checked, all of the windows are closed."

Jon looked relieved. "Thank you."

"Hug?" Martin held out his arms. Jon glanced at his hands. 

"Could you, ah , could you wash your hands?" 

"Of course." Martin crossed to the sink, trying not to mind the way Jon leant away from him as he passed. He scrubbed at his hands with warm soapy water, feeling Jon's eyes fixed on them. 

After they were dried, he offered his hands out for Jon to inspect. Satisfied, Jon folded himself into Martin's embrace, letting out a shaky exhale. 

"I'm sorry. I should be able to handle myself better."

"It's fine. I don't mind doing that."

"I feel like an idiot about it sometimes."

Martin ran a hand down his back. "You don't need to. It's alright if you're scared of them." 

"Did I ever tell you about Mr Spider?"

"No, I don't think so. Why, who was it?"

Jon squeezed his eyes shut. "It wasn't a who."

"Oh." Martin said. "I see."

"I was eight-"

"Oh Jon." 

"It was a Leitner. That's why I always took those statements seriously."

"I'm so sorry." 

Jon shrugged weakly, burying his face in Martin's shirt. "It was a long time ago."

"That sort of thing sticks with you. And with everything that's happened to us recently, it makes sense that old memories are resurfacing." Martin pressed a kiss to the top of Jon's head. "I'm here with you, I love you, and I am more than willing to get rid of any spiders." 

Jon let out a damp laugh. "What would I do without you?"

"Let's never find out." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jon's arachnophobia response is directly lifted from my own. i always freeze and feel sick and i often just cannot move from the spot until something happens. also, peppermint repels spiders, so i have a peppermint spray that i douse my room in
> 
> i genuinely struggled to write this chapter, so much so that i was actually unable to go back to edit it. i did get a friend to proof read it and let me know if there was any glaringly obvious mistakes, but if this doesn't flow well i apologise

**Author's Note:**

> come find me [on tumblr](https://oakleaf--bearer.tumblr.com/) or [on insta](https://www.instagram.com/statement_boo_gins/)  
> i take prompts/dms/asks/confessions of murder on both 
> 
> comments and kudos keep me writing, pls leave some!


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